Variety (Jun 1945)

PICTURES Wednesday, June 6, 1945 IATSE Scores Major Victory, Court Rules Walsh Seizure Action Valid Hollywood, June 5. ■ * IATSE won its first major victory in the 13-week studio strike yester- day (Mon;) when Superior Court judge* Emmet H.' Wilson dissolved the temporary order restraining In- ternational Officers from interfering with autonomy" of the Affiliated Property Craftsmen Local 44, Judge Wilson Waved aside any argument by. IA counsel Michael Luddy as unnecessary, holding that emergency under which the Inter- national seized control of union was properly executed and that pi-exy Dick Walsh had compiled with all terms of the constitution. Judge Wilson held that Walsh_had full authority to execute the takeover order, that members of Local 44 had •passed order in disobedience of In- ternational, and that plaintiff had hot exhausted all remedies provided for under union constitution. All ap- plicants for relief were denied, leav- ing the International free to pro Ceed with trial of four members ac Hay ward Set for Paris Hollywood, June 5, Louis Hay ward, currently play- ing in Hunt- Strombergs "Young Widow," has a commitment to make a picture for Rene Clair in Paris, late in autumn. .'-.•'..:• Before going overseas, Hayward is slated for a role in "The Return of Monte Cristo," to be produced by Edward ' Small. Warner Execs Meeting At H.O. on Operations, Plans for Coming Pix A general meeting of Warner the- atre execs to discuss current operat- ing matters and forthcoming prod- uct, plus plans in_connection with latter, is being herd at the WB homc- cused of "acting agairist-lhe best-in-* ^JfliCfc terests of IATSE." * Temporary restraining order tossed out by Judge Wilsor? prohibited Interna- tional ;from proceeding with the trial, from preventing meetings with membership, and from interfering with autonomy of iocal. While temporary order was pend- ing, membership met and nominated officers, but this action probably will be nullified by IA in view of court's ruling. International had discontinued rank and file meetings and ordered elec- tion of officers postponed. Extra police and 1 sheriff's details were alerted for duty yesterday as strik- ing technicians increased their picket lines and received orders to "cut out the politeness and get tough." At the same time it was re- ported that International union presidents in the building trades were calling a meeting in Washing- ton presumably with the idea.of de- manding William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor, rescind his announcement that cur- rent walkout is an unauthorized strike. Building trades were reported cracking down locally, with result that IATSE heads are said to have pulled their men off construction jobs at one major studio. Carpen- -ters-have-asked mill men and others not to handle supplies for studio and it is understood building trade tops protested IA men being used to erect a building. At meeting of unionists at Ameri- can Legion Stadium Sunday night (3) labor chiefs told members that —production -was-below- -30%- level- It was also revealed that decision ex- pected this week by NLRB on Set Decorators election and that Ma- chinists Local 1185 had filed unfair labor practice charges against major companies. Several speakers criti- cized 'actors, writers;' clerical work- ers and other groups for not insist- ing that producers end controversy. District managers and zone? buyers arrived yesterday (Tuesday) to sit in on the conferences with h.o. execs, including Joe Bernhard, g.m. of the- atres; Harry Kalmine, assistant gen- eral manager; Clayton'Bond, head of film buying-booking; and other WB circuit men, among them Harrx Goldberg, Frank .Phelps, Abel Vigard, W. . Stewart McDonald, Harry Rosenquest, Louis J. Kauf- man, Frank Marshall, Nat D. Fell- man, Herman Maier, Rudolph Weiss, Frank Cahill, Martin F. Bennett and Dan Triester. Zone managers brought in arc James Coston, Chicago; Nat Wolft Cleveland; I. 3. Hoffman, New Haven; Frank Damis, Newark; C. J. Latta, Albany; Ted Schlanger, Phil- adelphia; Moe Silver, Pittsburgh, and John J. Fayette; Washington. Buyers in on the conferences are Burt Jacocks and Max Friedman, Albany; John'Turner, Philadelphia; George Crouch, Washington; Harry Feinstein and Saul. Bragin, Pitts- burgh: Alex Halperin, Chicago, and Tony Stern, Cleveland. Ferrer Gets Col Meg Hollywood, June 5. Columbia upped Mel Ferrer to di- rector, with "The Girl of Limber- lost," an Alexis Thurn-Taxis pro- duction, as his opening chore. Former producer-director of the Hildegardc air show, Ferrer has worked for 18 months at Columbia as dialog director. .- SPG on Coast KO'd On Most Demands Hollywood, June 5.- WLB panel hearing the ease of demands by Screen Publicists Guild from the producers, tossed out prac- tically every contract demand made by the flacks and awarded, raises, which for most part were offered by producers. Demand,, for classifica- tions for senior publicists, includ- ing overscale men, was nixed by the WLB. Although minimum of $120.64 per week was granted for seniors, juniors were placed in four pay brackets, ranging from $65 to $89.96, and apprentices given a min- imum of $40 for a 40-hQur-week.- ; f Although flacks wanted a 40-hour week, WLB only cut the hours from 54 to 48. Panel also ruled WLB has jurisdiction over all raises except on overscale people who come under Treasury Dept. Also tossed out were requests for overtime after 6 p.m., "right to file grievances and arbitrate merit increases.. . U. S. Okays 20 th Troupe For Puerto Rico Trip Hollywood, June 5. Clearances for a 20th-Fox troupe of 10, headed by Henry King, direc- tor, were granted by the Govern- ment for an expedition to Puerto Rico for the filming of "American Guerrilla in the Philippines." Crew leaves Hollywood, July 9, headed for San Juan, P. R. Cast, headed, by Fred MacMurray, leaves July 28. Donald Brower, studio's public relations man, is already on his 'way. 16 Mm, Outdoor Pix ANewWorrytoExhibs Popularity of 16-millimeter out- door picture theatres, especially in the south, looms importantly in reg- ular theatre exhibition. Fact that high-quality sound now is possible for the 16-mm. projectors and the 10c. admission are chief worries to regularly established exhibitors. Routine of these new exhibs is to move—their-pro jectors onto a vacant- lot, set up chairs or planks for seats and then board up this space as an outdoor operation. The ad- mission often is as low as 10c. with 5c. for children. While these 16-mm. operators are hot able to get the latest features, I the early clearance of new product through armed forces camps re- cently has made some pictures avail- able, within a year, or earlier, of na- | tional release date. The 16-mm. exhibs pick (hem up from independ- ent dealers of 16-mm. pictures, since regular film distributors make them available to these indies when they appear old enough not to interfere with regular customers. . Dixie Stance on Negroes in Pix Recent, comment by Collier's mag declaring that the city of Memphis pulled a boner in banning the showing of "Brewster's Millions" because of Rochester's prominence in the pie, called 1 forth a defense from the Memphis Commercial Appeal last week (26). ("Variety" long ago called attention to indiscriminate cutting of films by. southern censors, in- cluding Memphis, because of Negro footage). Defending its censor board, the newspaper stated it was Hollywood, that pulled the. boner. The whole south is in protest, says the sheet, over "the absolutely, stupid manner in which motion picture producers have used Negrqes in films." iNewspaper throughout refers to Negroes with small "n.") It calls attention to incidents of a white emcee embracing a colored woman, of a closeup of a Negro soldier's face between two white girls, of a Negro couple spotlighted at a USO party, claiming all these irritate southern audiences. ~ "If Hollywood would adopt an every day natural, practical attitude toward the Negro in pictures there would be little protest from the south," says the sheet. "Let the Negro appear in the picture. Let him appear naturally. Don't overemphasize him just so Hollywood can show how broadminded it has become." Export Assn. Due to Become Actuality This Week As Aid to Foreign Problems Studio Contracts Hollywood, June 5. Burl Ives, actor, 20lh-Fox. Harold Kress, shorts direc... Metro. Barry Sullivan, actor. Paramount. James Dobbs, actor, Warners. William Russell director. Par, - Susan Blanchard, actress. 20th-Fox. Dick Haymes, renewed. 20th-Fox. Alexander C. Grant, actor, M-G. Jack Townley, writer-pro., RKO. Edward Ashley, actor,, Republic, Twinkle Watts, moppet, Republic. William Powell, renewed, Metro. Conrad Janis, actor, Columbia.. Albert S. Rogell, pro.-dir., Republic, Edwin G. Linden, cameraman, 20th.' Don Siegel, director, Warners. Bill White Named V.P. Of Gen'l Amus. Corp. Bill White, head of the film.depart- ment in General Amus. Corp.'s Hol- lywodd office, has been named a v.p. of the organization. ■ ; He .has been with the firm two years. .. :-'.-'■".'.'' ■'.'; '-■'•■■'.■■ i Faye Marlowe4 : ©ps J Spider , Hollywood, June 5. Faye Marlowe draws the top I'emme spot in "The Spider," to be directed by Robert Webb and pro- duced by Ben Silvey at 20th-Fox. Role was originally intended for Carole Landis, who -turned it down and is now in "Reno for her divorce. HEDY TO SHOW HER 'AGE' Hollywood, June 5. Hedy Lamarr took a sixmonth op- tion on a French play, "Uncertain Age," which may serve as her first indie starring venture when she re- turns from the nursery to the screen. Play was co-authored by Henri Aisner and Lilo Damert, ' JOHN W. HICKS, JR., PAR V. P., DIES IN N.Y. AT 58 John W. Hicks, Jr., 58, president of Paramount International Films and v.p. and director of Paramount, died June 1, at Memorial hospital, N. Y. City, following an operation last April 17. It was the second opera- tion within about two years. -r-» ■ Associated with the motion picture business since 1912, he was one of the most active and highly regarded foreign sales executives in the in- dustry, having been with the foreign end of the business since March, 1921. Despite failing health in re- cent years, Hicks (lew to London in September, 19.43, during the blitz to attend to corporation business and had mapped postwar plans for world survey trips to be made by plane. Starting in the picture business as operator of two theatres in Missouri. Hicl&-became-a-film-salesman in 1914 for General Film, Co. in Oklahoma and Missouri, later going to Minne- apolis as branch manager for Golcl- wyn Pictures Corp. He joined Paramount as a branch manager in 1919, transferring to the homeoffice in N. Y. as assistant to -the-late Sidney- R. Kent,--then- sales- manager of the corporation. Hicks first went into the foreign branch of the industry in 1921 when named managing director for Paramount in Australia. After 11 years there, he returned to the homeoffice again. In 1932 he was made manager of Para- mount's English division, and acting manager of Paramount International Corp. in 1933. Hicks became man- ager of Paramount Pictures' foreign department a year later, and in 1930 was elected a v.p, of the company. He was named to the directorate in 1938. Hicks also was a director of Famous Players-Canadian Corp. When Paramount International Films, Inc., was formed last year. Hicks_\vas made president. He lived at New Rochelle, N. Y„ but never forgot his home town of Scdalia, Mo., where he was born, regularly re- turning .there during all the years that the film business took him to all corners of the globe.. As a for- eign Sales executive, Paramount business took him to virtually every country in Europe, to Great Britain, the Orient, the 'Near . East, Latin- America and Australia .and New Army Zealand. . ' Army ' Long a strong advocate of the free j Navy .. screen, Hicks , expressed the hope Canada this year, in commenting oil the FEA . postwar period, that screen playing OWI time will be free and open through- I out . the world in the reconstruction era. ■ - ... He is survived by his widow, his son, John W. Hicks, 3d, of U.S. Army Ail' Force,,, now at Tonopah Field, Nevada; twin sisters, and . a brother, Wilson Hicks, executive edi- tor of Life; Funeral was Monday t4) in N. Y. Burial" will be in the fam- ily plot, Sedalia, Mo. The industry was well represented at the services. Capt. Harold Autcn, a director of June 10-pct. 27 Set For U's 'Biumberg Sales Drive' Bill Scully;.Universal's sales chief, yesterday fT'ues.) announced a sales drive starting June 10 and carrying through to Oct. 27. It will be known as the Nate Blumberg Testimonial campaign in honor of the company proxy. Sales force will be divided into eastern, western and southern groups. New t/oduet available during the drive will include the latest Deanna Dtubin starrer. "Lady on a Train," "That's the Spirit," new Abbott- Costello comedy, "The Naughty Nineties," "Uncle Harry," and "On Stage Everybody," with Jack Oakie, Peggy Ryan and Johnny Coy. The current pictures available for cam- paign are "Salome," "Patrick the Great." "Sudan." "Here Come Co- Eds" and "Frisco Sal." 35 mm. Film Continued from page 3 The film industry's Export Assn., expected to be one of the picture business' greatest media for building trade-in the-postwar. foreign-market,, is expected to become an actuality this week. It will enable the indus- try to act with unanimity on all problems encountered aboard. At a huddle of major company foreign managers and film chief ex- ecutives last Thursday (31), imme- diate incorporation in Delaware was approvad. The Export Assn. should be ready for business, with a board of directors picked this week. All major companies and such inde- pendents as Republic and Monogran\ are expected to become members, with every major company certain of membership. Independent ..units or companies are eligible, and the Society of Independent Motion Pic- ture Producers has been invited to name a member to the board. Proxy also likely will be picked this week. Although there has been consid- erable talk, off and on, about a united front for operations in for- eign lands, this is the first time the American film business actually has set up the machinery for a united front. most since the last quarter of 1944. Producers of factuals will get 15,- 750,000 feet, and 6,300,000 will go to; producers of special pictures, such as scientific research, microfilming, and identification purposes. .-•:'. ..-.'•' In the third quarter, only author- izations lor the transfer and expo- sure of 35 mm. film bearing the number 14.000 or higher will- be valid. ■ \' Allotments to the studios: - Linear feet Producers ' - of film Columbia Pictures Corp.. 29,208,380 TVIerro' : Goldwyn'-Ma~yer"ari"d" Loew's. Inc. ...... 40,693,360 Monogram Production;;,* Inc. 7,888,810 Paramount Pictures, Inc.. 28,717,870 Producers Releasing Corp. 5.308,890 Radio-Keith-Orphcum Corp 22.251.810 Ropiiblic Pictures Corp... 17,736,950 Twentieth Century- Fox Film Corp 30,707,010 Universal Pictures Corp., Inc. . 26.501.090. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. 32,576,910 Independent producers... 29,408,920 As in the second quarter, WPB has established an over-all quota, or al- lotment, for independent producers as a group, in addition to the quotas for the 10 producers affiliated with national distributors. This ovei'-all Kay Francis Sets Next Hollywood, June 5. Kay Francis' next Monogram star- rer, "Allotment Wives," will be di- rected by William Nigh. In addition to starring, Miss Fran- cis will co-produce with Jeffrey Ber- nercl. '..■' quota represents the amount, of film normally received by independent producers, plus a small additional amount needed to provide flexibility of^peraTioh "for the 'smaller tilde*' 7 pendent producers. The individual quotas of the distributors from whom the independent producers formerly received film have been reduced to (,he extent that they supplied film to independent producers. Allotments to the ncwsreels: Linear feet Producers March of Time.,-,........ Movietone, Inc....,,,.... News « of - thc-Day News- reel; Inc ...,.,. Paramount Pictures, Inc., producing Paramount News .... Pathc News, Inc. Universal Pictures Co., InC:, producing Univer- sal New -.reel -. of film 2.318.719 13,318.500 12.129.0(10 12:192.259 9.574.500 7.127.259 Overall 35 mm. Breakdown For. lite first t'mle, WPB has released a breakdown showing libtr i.i. has been allocating 35 mm. film to all groups of claimants including the ariitcd services, making the figures arailuhle for a full year by quarters: Eagle-Lion, attended as rcpresenta : five of J. Arthur/Rank at the tat- ter's request. ,, Overseas ;...... Doiiicstic ;,,.;.:. M a j o x e-ntertainmenf picture producers...-. Ncwsreel producers.. .. "Class C" producers.. Factual picture pro- - ditcers Special picture pro- ducers ,,..(........ Army and Navy credits. Reserve ............... 1944 4lh qtr. 77 000,000 42,000,000 1,000,000 50.000.000 7.750,000 5,000,000 271,368.000 52,550,000 9,000,000 15.000,000 3,000,000 58,000,000 5,000,000 1945 1st qtr, 75,500,000 37,000,000 1.000,000 (iK.835.000 18,000.001) 8,300,000 266,000.000 51.614.000 6,000,000 1945 2d qtr. 85,500,000 43,500,000 1,784,000 52,000,000 18,000,000 17,250,000 261,000,000 52,856,000 7,500,000 1945 3d qtr. (W.000.000 54.000,000 3.600,000 38,000.000 13.725.000 V. 8,750,000 271,000.000 56.860,219. 8.100.000 9,000,000 11,500,000 15,750,000 1,500,000 60.000,000 10,000,000 5,500,000 66,000,000 2,500,000 6,300,000 74.100.000 4,994,781 Tofals ;- Army—40.000,000,. . Navy- Army-Navy theatrical releases, 596,668,000 600,749,000 31,000,000*, 624,890,000 622,180.000 3.100.000. special reserve for